SEC Football by the Numbers: Season wrapup

BILL STARLING/Staff PhotographerAlabama running back Mark Ingram set a Crimson Tide single-season rushing record on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy in 2009.0 Team in the nation that played a tougher schedule than Mississippi State in 2009, based on the records of the Bulldogs' NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. Mississippi State's major opponents had an 84-41 record -- a .672 winning percentage. Other SEC teams with their strength-of-schedule rating were Alabama second, Arkansas fourth, Florida sixth, South Carolina 13th, Auburn 19th, Georgia 21st, LSU 23rd, Tennessee 37th, Ole Miss 45th, Vanderbilt 51st and Kentucky 58th. LSU and Tennessee were the only SEC teams that did not play an opponent from the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision in 2009. Ole Miss played two.

0 Coaches with at least five seasons at an SEC school who have a better winning percentage in either conference play or overall games than Florida's Urban Meyer. Meyer concluded his fifth season with the Gators in 2009 with a 32-8 record in conference games and a 57-10 mark in all games. He knocked former Alabama coach Gene Stallings out of the top spot in both rankings. Meyer has an .800 winning percentage in conference play, ahead of Stallings' .791, and an .851 winning percentage in all games, better than Stallings' .810.

0 Teams with winning records that averaged fewer offensive yards per game than LSU in 2009. The Tigers' average output of 304.5 yards per game ranked 112th in the nation.

0.1 Yards per punt that Georgia's Drew Butler came within tying the SEC record for single-season punting average (for players with at least 50 punts). The record is held by Vanderbilt's Rick Anderson, who averaged 48.2 yards per punt in 1984. Butler averaged 48.1 yards per punt in 2009.

ROGELIO SOLIS/Associated PressOle Miss' Dexter McCluster became the first SEC player with 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season in 2009.1 Player in SEC history who had at least 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season -- Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster in 2009, when he finished with 1,169 rushing yards and 520 receiving yards.

1 Mississippi State player who has led the SEC in rushing -- Anthony Dixon in 2009. Dixon averaged 126.5 rushing yards per game. The SEC has ranked its rushers by yards per game since 1970. Alabama's Mark Ingram had the most rushing yards of any SEC player in 2009 -- 1,658 to Dixon's 1,391 -- but Ingram played 14 games and Dixon 11. The SEC's conference-wide records go back to 1948, but NCAA records dating to 1937 don't show a Bulldog as the league's top runner in those seasons, either.

1 More loss for coach Steve Spurrier in five seasons at South Carolina than in 12 seasons at Florida. While guiding the Gators from 1990 through 2001, Spurrier compiled a 122-27-1 record. In the past five seasons with the Gamecocks, Spurrier has a 35-28 record.

1 Ole Miss player who has had at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season -- WR Shay Hodge with 1,135 in 2009. Hodge's total, the 15th-best in one season in SEC history, broke the Rebels' record of 949 receiving yards set by Chris Collins in 2003.

1 Time that teams from the same conference have finished No. 1 in the final AP poll for four consecutive seasons. The SEC has held the top spot in the final AP poll since 2006 when Florida finished first, followed by LSU in 2007, Florida in 2008 and Alabama in 2009.

1 Season in which Arkansas has led the SEC in scoring -- 2009, when the Razorbacks averaged 36 points per game. Arkansas also led the SEC in passing for the first time this season, with an average of 295.5 yards per game.

2 Quarterbacks who have been the SEC's top passer in three seasons -- Florida's Tim Tebow and Kentucky's Babe Parilli. Since 1967, the SEC has judged its passers by their efficiency rating, and Tebow led the league in that category in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Before 1967, SEC passers were ranked by total passing yards, and Parilli topped the conference in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

2 SEC ballcarriers who set school single-season rushing records in 2009. Alabama RB Mark Ingram's 1,658 yards bettered the Crimson Tide mark of 1,471 set by Bobby Humphrey in 1986. Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon's 1,391 yards broke the Bulldogs mark of 1,383 yards set by former Davidson High School star James Johnson in 1998.

2 Players who have led Auburn in rushing for three consecutive seasons -- Tommy Lorino, who was the Tigers' top ballcarrier in 1956, '57 and '58, and Ben Tate, who led Auburn in rushing in 2007, '08 and '09.

2 Players in SEC history who have led their teams in rushing and passing in three seasons -- Don Smith, who was Mississippi State's top runner and passer in 1984, '85 and '86, and Tim Tebow, who did the same at Florida in 2007, '08 and '09.

2 Players who have led LSU in receptions for three consecutive seasons -- Eric Martin, who was the Tigers' top pass-catcher in 1982, '83 and '84, and Brandon LaFell, who did it in 2007, '08 and '09.

2 Quarterbacks who have been Associated Press first-team All-SEC selections for three consecutive seasons -- Florida's Tim Tebow in 2007, '08 and '09 and Shane Matthews in 1990, '91 and '92. From 1945 through '47, Alabama's Harry Gilmer was a first-team All-SEC pick as a back on the 11-player all-conference team, and Alabama records now refer to him as a quarterback, even though he was a single-wing tailback. The league's coaches made LSU's Tommy Hodgson a first-team All-SEC pick at quarterback three times, but the AP did not.

3 Kickoff returns for TDs this season apiece by Georgia's Brandon Boykin and Vanderbilt's Warren Norman to tie the SEC single-season record set by Tennessee's Willie Gault in 1980.

3 Ole Miss players who have been the SEC's leading receiver -- Jack Stribling with 22 catches in 1949, Chris Collins with 5.9 receptions per game in 2003 and Shay Hodge with 5.4 receptions per game in 2009.

MARY ANN CHASTAIN/Associated PressVanderbilt running back Warren Norman set the SEC record for kickoff-return yards in a season in 2009.4 Players in 2009 who passed the SEC record for kickoff-return yards in a season. Arkansas' Dennis Johnson set the record in 2008 with 905 kickoff-return yards. In 2009, Vanderbilt's Warren Norman had 1,050, Johnson 1,031, Mississippi State's Leon Berry 1,015 and Georgia's Brandon Boykin 988.

4 Current coaches among the top eight in overall winning percentage in SEC history. Among coaches with at least five years at an SEC member, Florida's Urban Meyer has the best winning percentage in league history at .851, going 57-10 in five seasons with the Gators. LSU's Les Miles is sixth at .773 (51-15 in five seasons), Alabama's Nick Saban seventh at .771 (81-24 in eight seasons with LSU and the Crimson Tide) and Georgia's Mark Richt eighth (.769 in nine seasons). Between Meyer and Miles are Gene Stallings (.810), Frank Thomas (.806), Paul "Bear" Bryant (.797) and Robert Neyland (.780).

5 Coaches who have lost more games at an SEC member than Bobby Johnson has at Vanderbilt. All of those coaches have at least 2½ times as many victories as Johnson does. In seven seasons with the Commodores, Johnson has a 29-66 record. The only SEC coaches with more losses are Wally Butts (140-86-9 in 22 seasons at Georgia), Shug Jordan (176-83-6 in 25 seasons at Auburn), Vince Dooley (201-77-10 in 25 seasons at Georgia), Jackie Sherrill (75-75-2 in 13 seasons at Mississippi State) and Bear Bryant (292-69-14 in 33 seasons at Kentucky and Alabama).

5 Consensus All-Americans for Alabama in 2009, the most for one team in SEC history. The Crimson Tide's consensus All-American selections in 2009 were CB Javier Arenas, NT Terrence Cody, RB Mark Ingram, G Mark Johnson and LB Rolando McClain. Only one previous SEC team had had four consensus All-Americans -- Florida in 2001 with DL Alex Brown, WR Jabar Gaffney, QB Rex Grossman and OL Mike Pearson. Only four other SEC teams have had three consensus All-American teams -- 1934 Alabama, 1996 Florida, 2007 Arkansas and 2008 Alabama. All Alabama's 2009 consensus All-Americans were first-team selections on The Associated Press All-America team as was Crimson Tide PK Leigh Tiffin, giving Bama an all-time record six first-team choices on the AP squad.

6 Of the past seven SEC teams that have finished in the top 10 in the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense have not won the conference championship. Florida finished 10th in scoring offense at 35.9 points per game and fourth in scoring defense at 12.4 points per game in 2009, but lost in the SEC championship game to Alabama. The 2008 Florida team finished fourth in both scoring offense and scoring defense nationally and won the SEC title, breaking a streak of five double-top 10 teams that had failed to take the conference crown. LSU in 2006, Florida in 2001, Tennessee in 1993, Georgia in 1992 and Auburn in 1986 finished in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense, yet failed to win SEC championship.

7 More interception-return yards for Florida State's Terrell Buckley, the NCAA's career record-holder, than for Tennessee S Eric Berry. Buckley returned 21 interceptions for 501 yards from 1989 through 1991. Berry has 494 return yards on 14 interceptions.

7 SEC teams that have scored at least 500 points in a season, with Florida's outburst in the Sugar Bowl sending the Gators to 502 points for the 2009 season. The 2008 Gators hold the SEC record with 611 points. Other teams with more than 500 points in a season are 1996 Florida, 2007 Florida, 2007 LSU, 1995 Florida and 1994 Florida.

9 More punt-return yards for Texas Tech's Wes Welker, the NCAA's career record-holder, than for Alabama CB Javier Arenas. Welker returned 152 punts for 1,761 yards from 2000 through 2003. Arenas had 125 returns from 1,752 yards.

13 Consecutive seasons with at least eight victories for Georgia, the longest current streak in the nation. Texas and Virginia Tech have won at least eight games in each of the past 12 seasons.

19 SEC teams that finished No. 1 in the season-ending vote of at least one of the three major polls, including Alabama, which took the top spot in the final Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and Football Writers Association of America polls for the 2009 season. The SEC's other "national champions" are Alabama in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979 and 1992, Auburn in 1957, Florida in 1996, 2006 and 2008, Georgia in 1980, LSU in 1958, 2003 and 2007, Ole Miss in 1960, and Tennessee in 1951 and 1998.

22 TD passes for QB Chris Todd in 2009, the Auburn single-season record -- two more than Pat Sullivan had in 1971, when he won the Heisman Trophy, or Jason Campbell had in 2004, when he led the Tigers to an undefeated record. Todd threw six TD passes in Auburn's eight conference games and 16 in the Tigers' five non-conference contests.

31 Seasons since Mississippi State had a player with 1,000 receiving yards. The only 1,000-yard season for a Bulldogs receiver was recorded by Mardye McDole in 1978. Chad Bumphis was Mississippi State's top receiver in 2009 with 375 yards.

53 Consecutive starts for LSU OT Ciron Black, the most in Tigers' history. Black broke Andrew Whitworth's record in his final game, the Capital One Bowl.

57 Victories over the past five seasons for Florida, the SEC record for most wins in a five-year span. LSU won 56 games from 2003 through 2007. This year, the Gators set SEC records for most victories in two seasons (26 -- tied with 2008-09 Alabama), three seasons (37) and four seasons (48).

HAL YEAGER/Birmingham NewsAuburn wide receiver Darvin Adams set a school single-season record for receptions in 2009.60 Receptions this season for Auburn WR Darvin Adams, a school single-season record. Adams broke the mark of 58 set by Frank Sanders in 1994 and matched by Willie Gosha in 1995.

63 Kickoff returns by Auburn in 2009, tying the SEC single-season record set by Kentucky in 2007.

100 Victories this decade for Florida. The Gators joined Alabama of the 1970s and Florida of the 1990s as the only SEC teams to win at least 100 games in a decade, in this case the 2000s. LSU finished the decade with 99 victories. Alabama won 103 games from 1970 through 1979, and Florida won 102 games from 1990 through 1999.

111 Field goals attempted by Alabama PK Leigh Tiffin, tying the NCAA major-college record set by Jerry Ito at Rutgers from 2004 through 2007. Tiffin made 83; Ito made 80. The record for career field goals made is 87, set by Billy Bennett at Georgia from 2000 through 2003. Bennett had 110 attempts.

112 Career kickoff returns for Florida's Brandon James, an SEC record, as are James' 2,718 career kickoff-return yards. Entering the 2009 season, Mark Johnson held the league record for career kickoff returns with 107 for Vanderbilt from 1986 through 1988 and 1990, and Derek Pegues held the conference record for career kickoff-return yards with 2,498 for Mississippi State from 2005 through 2008.

358 Points scored against Auburn in 2009, the most the Tigers have given up in a single season. The previous high was 283 in 1995. The Auburn record for most points yielded per game had been 26.2 by the 1948 team, which was 1-8-1. The 2009 team gave up 27.5, but went 8-5 by coming within four points for Auburn's single-season scoring record. The 2009 Tigers finished with 433 points. The school record is 438 set by the 1995 team. By points per game, the 2009 Auburn team was the fourth-highest scoring in school history (for teams that played at least five games in a season) at 33.3. The 1920 team averaged 36.9 points per game (even though it was shut out twice). The 1995 team averaged 36.5 points per game, and the 1970 team 35.5.

910 Rushing attempts for Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon, a figure exceeded in SEC history only by the 994 carries of Herschel Walker for Georgia from 1980 through 1982. Dixon set a school career record with 3,994 rushing yards, falling 6 yards short of becoming the eighth SEC runner with 4,000 yards.

995 More passing yards for Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett in 2009 than any other Razorback had ever thrown for in a season. Mallett passed for 3,624 yards in 2009, the eighth-highest single-season total in SEC history. The Arkansas record for passing yards in a season had been held by Clint Stoerner, who threw for 2,629 yards in 1998.

1,514 Kickoff-return yards by Mississippi State in 2009, breaking the SEC record for kickoff-return yards in a season set by Tennessee with 1,462 in 2007.